Treasure Hunt
by KissACookContest
Summary: Sookie is looking for culinary treasure in the Louisiana woods, will she find it, and what will she do with it if she does?


**THE KISS A COOK CONTEST**

**Title: Treasure Hunt**

**Characters: Sookie, Eric,**

**Disclaimer: Characters from Charlaine Harris' SVM novels and Alan Ball's True Blood HBO series belong to them. I am merely using them in a non-profit, non-publishable manner. OOC, AU**

Since Vampires have come out, they've become famous for several things: their sexual talents, their strength and quickness, and their ability to glamour humans. A lesser known gift is their acute sense of smell. And although I had friends who were Wolves and Shifters, I thought that Eric Northman would be happy to help me out. He was renowned as a tracker, which meant that his sense of smell was even more highly developed.

I'm Sookie Stackhouse. When I first met Eric, I was a waitress at Merlotte's Bar & Grill. Unfortunately, my dear friend Sam Merlotte was killed one moonlit night as he ran with the Shreveport Wolf Pack as a collie. The car that stopped in surprise to gape at the pack of wolves racing across the road under the full moon started up too soon after they passed, and it hit him as he followed behind the pack. There should be crossing guards.

Sam left Merlotte's to me. I was tired of drunks and brawls, so I decided to go to culinary school and change it into a restaurant. Lafayette ran the bar for me while I was away. I was going to keep him on when I reopened, I just didn't know in what capacity. I thought we'd talk it over when I returned.

Eric is...I guess you could call him my boyfriend, although that term is woefully inadequate for a 1,000 year old Viking sex god. He is the Sheriff of Area 5, and also owns Fangtasia, a "meet and eat" vampire bar. We have been together for a few years now, and he is always trying to convince me to quit working and move in with him in Shreveport. But I like being independent. I know Eric has millions of dollars that he'd love to spend on me, but that's not why I love him. (And really, after you have a place to live, food on your table, and out here, a car, what else do you need.?) He's the rare man, human or vampire, who listens to me, and wants from me exactly what I want from him: honesty, fidelity and lots of steamy sex.

After finishing my chef's course, I went to Italy for an internship. You can say that Italy is where I found my passion. Not for another man! No one can replace my Viking! In Italy I discovered Boletus Edulis and Tuber Magnatum Pico. Porcini Mushrooms and Italian White Truffles. It was the Porcini that captured me, but the truffles that made me see an income without the endless night work of a restaurant. I don't mind hard work, but with Eric running Fangtasia an hour away, and me running Merlotte's, during the same times, we would never see each other. If I found truffles on my property, we could roam the woods together at night hunting them. So I came home from Italy hoping to find tuber gold under the pine and oak trees of Northern Louisiana.

As everyone probably knows by now, truffles are one of the world's most expensive foods. This year they are being sold for up to $1,440 per pound. Fresh porcini are also pretty dear also at $40.00-$100.00 per pound. I thought of a unique way that Eric could help me. Instead of finding and buying a truffle hunting dog, my Vampire, with his excellent sense of smell, could sniff out truffles for me in the woods.

The first night Eric and I went out truffle hunting, we got sidetracked pretty quickly. The novelty of us in the woods together with its night sounds, kept me clinging to Eric, and soon we wound up making love on a soft bit of turf.

The second night we made love before we left the house. I thought it would be insurance so we could search for hours. Alas, once is never enough for my Viking, and our treasure hunt ended well before dawn. We found no truffles, but he found hidden treasures under the stars.

I was starting to think that a $12,500 investment in a truffle hunting dog would be worth it, but Eric promised that the next night he would keep his mind on tubers. We skipped the night of the full moon, as werewolves wouldn't make our hunt any easier or safer, and went out the night after.

There was a grove of oak trees deep in the forest where I thought we might have some luck. Even though Eric could see in the dark, I couldn't, so I brought along a flashlight in my hunting bag. Since we weren't just meandering through the woods, Eric flew to the oak grove, carrying me in his arms, Rhett-and-Scarlett style. It would have been romantic if I wasn't thinking of spores, fungus, and underground growths. We landed lightly on a thick blanket of moss, and I thanked my personal Superman with a kiss, but pulled away so we could get some work done.

I had brought some truffles and truffle oil home from Italy. The truffles had a confusing odor for Eric. They smell so strongly of earth, that he became disoriented the first time I cut one for him to sniff. He thought, for a fleeting moment, that he was buried in the ground! We both wondered if there might be another vampiric use for truffles, but put the thought aside.

Because truffles are buried between the roots of trees, Eric had to get close to the ground to sniff them out. He took up a lot of space. Almost six and a half feet of muscular vampire, lying, crawling, and twisting around the trunks of the old trees, that first class ass sticking up in the air...he looked pretty funny, but I didn't dare laugh if I wanted him to keep helping me.

The moon had almost waned when Eric levitated straight up and started coughing. Vampires don't cough or sneeze, so it was kind of surprising. Luckily, he stopped before his head hit the branches above him, he did a flip , and landed in front of me.

"Lover, I think I found one!" he declared enthusiastically. I brought the flashlight over to where he indicated, and started digging with a small trowel. I used my hands as much as the trowel because I didn't want to bruise the truffle, if there was one there. (**I** didn't want him digging because of his strength. **He** didn't want to dig because he was "Vampire".) After about 30 minutes of gently digging and brushing, I unearthed one of the largest truffles I could imagine.

"Eric, look at the size of it! If I found only one each year like this, I would be comfortable," I said excitedly. "There must be more! No one has ever searched this area for truffles before."

"Sookie, lover, wait! Are you positive this is your land? Once this is made public, if it's not yours, or even if it is, it will be overrun with foodies looking for buried treasure..."

"I always thought it was ours, Eric. We always played here when we were kids. But you're right, I'd better check the land survey and make sure."

I started to feel hesitant about my great find. Did I want truffle hunters from all over the world invading my Louisiana Parish? Trying to get onto my land? Clogging up the roads? Interviewing me and my friends? Looking down on our "redneck" ways?

Of course, nothing was fenced in the forests. And if it wasn't my land, did I want to tell the owner? The only other landowner in this section was Bill Compton, and I wanted nothing to do with him. If he had fresh truffles, I know he would try to insinuate himself back into my life. He'd probably try to use them for some advantage, to have some contact with me. Plus, I can imagine him stalking me in the forest. But Bill hated human food. Truffles would make him gag! He used to make me brush my teeth and gargle three times after every meal, or he wouldn't kiss me! Thank goodness, not even garlic would keep Eric from kissing me.

"Eric, sweetheart, we haven't detached it yet, and no harm has been done, let's rebury it. Then we'll go home and talk about our options," I suggested. I gently re-covered the enormous growth and patted down the soil so it looked untouched. Some thrown leaves and twigs made it look natural.

"Wait, lover, I have an idea," he called as he walked over to me.

I looked up at his beautiful face and wondered what his idea was. When he leaned down and kissed me, I knew, and I agreed that it was a damn good one. On the soft bed of moss, under the oak trees, we made love until it was almost dawn, then flew back to my home and its light-tight bedroom, where we fell asleep in each other's arms.

When I awoke the next afternoon, I made a list of things to do, along with my coffee. The first was to find the record of the land survey and who owned the oak grove. The second was to have a talk with Eric about our future. There were so many possibilities: I could sell Merlotte's, and open a dinner only restaurant near Fangtasia, start a food company of some type (if not truffles), work for Eric at Fangtasia, work as a chef in another restaurant, or start a catering business. I could even keep Merlotte's and only go in two or three days each week, though I knew that's not how it should be done.

It seemed to me that I was moving away from the establishment of "Truffle Treasures, Inc." The amount of upheaval from a truffle find in my back yard might be too much to bear.

I sat in my favorite chair and pondered my options. I knew that Eric would support me in whatever I chose, but that he wanted me closer, and wanted to see me more often than he did now. My first decision was to sell Merlotte's. I would offer it to Lafayette. He'd been running it for about a year and was doing well making soul food and southern home cooking. Maybe even better than I would with a more upscale restaurant. I mean, for god's sakes, it's Bon Temps. Unless you wanted to go for a long drive, you wouldn't go there at all.

My second decision was to move in with Eric. I had been holding out long enough. Not sexually, god knows, but perhaps emotionally. I needed to make the move. What other man would crawl around the forest floor for me?

And then I decided. I knew that Eric owned the strip mall where Fangtasia was located. Not paying a mortgage, or paying minimal rent, would enable me to open a restaurant that was open only three or four nights each week. I could cook. I could sneak out, dig up and use those truffles, and still have plenty of time for Eric. I wouldn't get rich, but I know knew I could keep a restaurant in the black. I would be busy and happy.

I was excited to tell Eric of my decisions, and couldn't wait for him to rise for the night. I ran back upstairs, removed my clothes and climbed into bed with the man of my dreams. I still had at least an hour before sunset, so I cuddled up to him and pulled his arm over me. I always felt protected in this position, even though he couldn't do anything during the day. A sigh of contentment passed my lips and my eyes slowly closed.

I awoke to hands making gentle circles over my breasts, soft kisses on the back of my neck, and Eric's Gracious Plenty between us like a lodgepole pine. One hand gradually moved south to open my folds and he inserted his talented fingers. I was wanting desperately to touch him, so I turned and captured his mouth with mine, and put my hands on his body where I thought I would get the biggest reaction. With one I grabbed his butt, and with the other I grabbed his cock, and positioned it at my entrance, pushing his fingers out of the way. I could feel how ready I was, how very ready he was, and I didn't want to wait.

I wanted to tell him that we'd awaken every night like this. That this was the right, the best thing for us to do. But I decided to let my body tell him everything. I pulled him into my body and I pushed my hips up to meet him. It was a good start, but I wanted more. I pushed him onto his back (of course, he let me) and lowered myself onto him. From this position, I could take all of him, and it felt as if he would reach my heart. I started slowly, teasingly, to move up and down, but his large hands at my waist had different instructions. Soon we were moving to his beat, and my body made its own music to keep up with him. We ended at the same time with wild shouts.

I hated that he always moved off me so quickly when we first met. Now the mighty vampire had been trained to keep the inside connection as long as I didn't feel crushed. Sometimes we started making love again, but sometimes we just cuddled. My Eric loved to cuddle, and I fit perfectly, right under his chin.

"Eric, I'm sorry, but I made my decisions without you," I said as I snuggled.

"You don't seem very sorry, lover."

"That's because I think that you'll like them."

"OK lover, hit me with them."

"First of all, I'm moving in with you." Eric stilled, and the quiet became more so. "Aren't you pleased?" Did I misunderstand his desires?

"Sookie, my love, I am speechless I am so happy!" He hugged me tight and planted a never-ending kiss on my lips. I eventually pulled away so I could continue my surprises.

"I've decided to sell Merlotte's, and open a small place in the Fangtasia strip mall. I'd only be opened Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays with a limited menu. It would run in the black, but without a large profit."

"That doesn't matter, lover. I have more than enough for both of us. But I understand that you want to use your talents, and like to make people happy. Cooking is perfect for that. And Merlotte's?"

"I'm going to offer it to Lafayette first. He's done a good job with it so far. Home cooking goes over well in Bon Temps. Eric, if he needs money, could you...?"

"We'll see after you speak to him, my love. I know how special he is to you."

"So shall we get dressed and go see Lafayette now?" I was very excited.

"What about the truffles, lover? Your big plans for Truffle Treasures?"

"I think it would be too disruptive. I can harvest the truffles and use them in my restaurant. But I don't want strangers and foodies tramping all over the forest. And what if there are no more? You know how humans are. There'd be lots of angry people roaming around Bon Temps feeling as if they'd been cheated out of something. Not a good situation."

"I think you're right, lover. Some humans seem to feel entitled. Having them invade your home town could lead to clashes with the locals."

"Yeah. And you know, Eric, there are other treasures besides truffles out there. There's peace and quiet, friends and laughter, and you. Anything else is just a distraction from what really matters."

His sea blue eyes bore into mine. I could see his age in them, his wisdom and his pain. "You are my treasure, lover. There is nothing else.

fin


End file.
